What A Day

The US is in an extremely dangerous period of the pandemic, with cases and hospitalizations at record highs, holidays fast approaching, and little in the way of a federal response. Our guest host for today —epidemiologist and former Detroit health commissioner Dr. Abdul El-Sayed — answers our questions about the current state of affairs, vaccine updates, Thanksgiving, and what gives him hope about a Biden administration. 

And in headlines: Hurricane Iota update in Central America, Apple faces privacy lawsuit in Europe, and Dolly helped get us the Moderna vaccine.

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Pharmaceutical company Moderna announced yesterday that its vaccine is 94.5% effective, according to early data. This comes after Pfizer's announcement last week and raises the prospects that two vaccines could cleared for use on a limited basis by the end of the year.

With two senate runoffs set for January, all eyes are on Georgia. We talk about the candidates, the issues, and the organizers animating the race.

And in headlines: more than 92,000 people have filed abuse claims against the Boy Scouts, “Stop The Steal” lawsuits stopped in four states, and more on this weekend’s NASA-SpaceX launch.

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The federal government still hasn’t affirmed Biden's victory, blocking him from the White House access he needs to get a handle on the transition and the government's pandemic response.

America has now surpassed 11 million COVID-19 cases, and the virus is still predominately affecting Black and Brown Americans. Some states are taking sweeping actions to slow rising case numbers, like New Mexico and Oregon, which have both reimposed lockdown measures.

And in headlines: new NYPD data show the limits of independent oversight committees, leaders from 15 Asia-Pacific countries sign the world’s largest free trade deal, and Chad Wolf’s moves to limit DACA weren’t legal.

Joe Biden’s lead has only grown since major networks projected him to win the presidential election last weekend, and despite that, Trump has continued to baselessly claim that he is the true winner and delay Biden’s transition process. To better understand the nuances of Trump’s lawsuits and whether we have anything at all to worry about, we spoke to Risk Hasen, a law professor at UC Irvine who specializes in election law and campaign finance. 

And in headlines: over 700,000 people file for unemployment, wolves as a first line of defense against chronic wasting disease, and YouTube Rewind is cancelled for this year.

The US is still in the thick of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of confirmed cases rising by 70 percent in the past two weeks. The CDC put out a new guidance that said face masks protect the person wearing the mask as well as the people around them—which is one more reason to keep wearing them. 

Republicans are still occupying an alternate reality where they largely refuse to acknowledge that Joe Biden has won the presidential election, even as Biden and his team of outside allies start preparing for the transition. Biden announced former White House ebola response coordinator Ron Klain as his Chief Of Staff, and we’re learning more about his plans to address the global climate crisis. 

And in headlines: a president’s ouster in Peru, TikTok asks for clarity on ban, and Ring recalls doorbells after they light on fire.

Secretary Of State Mike Pompeo made a bad “joke” yesterday that led many to believe Trump will continue to ignore the election results… which is making it harder for President-elect Joe Biden to begin the transition process.

Trump’s lawsuits to challenge election results have been mostly unsuccessful and lacking in any evidence. We go through a few examples, as well as what comes next in the election certification process.

And in headlines: Amazon faces antitrust charges in the EU, who’s making the McDonald’s McPlant, and a deep-dive into the story of Dean Browning’s alleged burner account.